Page 4 of In My Hockey Era
“Oh, I’m terrible at TikTok,” I admit.“But I’ll give it a shot.”
Vivian nods.“Good.We also might have you appear at an in-person event once the club gets rolling, maybe discuss a book with a panel or—”
“Love it.Sign me up.”
Drew lets out a defeated sigh.“Jeez Wilder.”
“Come on, man.”I nudge him.“You should read one with me.”
“Absolutely not.”He frowns at me.
Okay then…
But hey, you don’t get to be the league’s golden boy without doing a few extras.Hopefully all this goodwill I’m building will help me at contract negotiation time.Not that that’s the only reason I’m doing this.Sure, quid pro quo is great and all, and I meant what I told Vivian about growing the female fanbase—I think that’s cool as hell, I’m all for it.
Vivian, looking pleased despite herself, closes the folder.“Alright, then.I’ll send you the details for the video shoot.Try not to break your face in the meantime.”
“No promises,” I say cheerfully, grabbing my stack of books.
As I leave the room, I flip through the pages of the one on top, already wondering if I should start a highlight reel on my stories.Who knows?Maybe I’ll actually be good at this.
The rest of the day passes with a team skate and a quick workout, followed by a long shower.I’m starving by the time I make it home.
I manage to open the door to my apartment with my arms full of books and a bag of takeout.“Chase!You home?”
There’s a groan from the couch, then Chase Remington, my best friend, roommate, and favorite grumpy bastard, sits up.His hair is a mess, and there’s an indent on his cheek from where he must’ve passed out on the cushions.“Why are you yelling?”
“Why are you napping in the middle of the day?”I drop my books onto the coffee table and shove a takeout container at him.“Here.”
“I got cross-checked in practice, man,” he mutters, rubbing his ribs.“I deserve rest.”
“Fair enough.”I plop down next to him.
“What’s this?”he asks, opening the box of takeout to peek inside.
“Your favorite.”
It’s chicken pad thai—both our favorites.His, no spice, mine, medium spice.We both love our local hole-in-the-wall place and eat there at least once a week.
Flipping open my food, I dig in.“Oh, by the way, I’m a literary icon now.”
He gives me a flat look, his mouth full of noodles.“What?”
I gesture to the stack of books.“I’m the face of the Stampede Book Club.”
His stare deepens.“I’m sorry, did you get hit in the head today?”
I shove a forkful of food into my mouth, grinning.“Nope.PR asked, I said yes.I’m a man of the people, Chase.”
“You’re a man of being too damn agreeable,” he mutters, then snags his phone off the table.“Wait—holy sh—.”He turns the screen to me, showing a trending topic.
#BennettWilderCanReadToMeAnytime
I grin.“Hell yeah.”
“Wait… .”He scrolls down.“Dude, have you seen this?”
I lean over, reading aloud.“Some fan account is pissed about the book club… wait, no.Not some fan account.Thefan account.”I squint at the profile.Overtime withQuinn.“Why does that sound familiar?”
